Meanings of minor-planet names: 59001–60000
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As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU's naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets in the specified number-range that have received names, and explains the meanings of those names.
Official naming citations of newly named small Solar System bodies are approved and published in a bulletin by IAU's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN).[1] Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars for many decades.[2] Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB).[3] Until his death in 2016, German astronomer Lutz D. Schmadel compiled these citations into the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (DMP) and regularly updated the collection.[4][5]
Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets,[6] Schmadel also researched the unclear origin of numerous asteroids, most of which had been named prior to World War II. 
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: SBDB New namings may only be added to this list below after official publication as the preannouncement of names is condemned.[7] The WGSBN publishes a comprehensive guideline for the naming rules of non-cometary small Solar System bodies.[8]
59001–59100
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59001 Senftenberg | 1998 SZ35 | Žamberk (Senftenberg), a Czech town in eastern Bohemia, where two comets were discovered by Theodor Brorsen in 1851, and where theologian and natural scientist Prokop Diviš, astronomer August Seydler and surgeon Eduard Albert were born. | JPL · 59001 |
| 59045 Gérardlemaitre | 1998 TR2 | Gérard R. Lemaitre (b. 1943), a French astronomer. | IAU · 59045 |
| 59067 Claudiaangeli | 1998 VS1 | Claudia Angeli, Brazilian astronomer. | IAU · 59067 |
| 59068 Pierrebourget | 1998 VZ1 | Pierre Bourget, French research engineer at the European Southern Observatory. | IAU · 59068 |
| 59087 Maccacaro | 1998 VT33 | Tommaso Maccacaro (born 1951), an Italian astrophysicist who has worked in high-energy astrophysics and x-ray astronomy since 1976. He is currently director of the INAF-Brera Astronomical Observatory in Milan and chairman of the European Space Agency Astronomy Working Group (2007–2009). | JPL · 59087 |
59101–59200
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59122 Bienaymé | 1998 XJ15 | Irenée Jules Bienaymé, French mathematician. | IAU · 59122 |
| 59162 Olivierbienaymé | 1998 YX10 | Olivier Bienaymé, French astronomer. | IAU · 59162 |
| 59199 Jorisbossard | 1999 BH6 | Joris Bossard, French space enthusiast and science communicator | IAU · 59199 |
59201–59300
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59211 Bernardfort | 1999 BS13 | Bernard Fort, French astronomer. | IAU · 59211 |
| 59232 Sfiligoi | 1999 CA1 | Vincenzo Sfiligoi (born 1932), a public accountant in the Italian province of Gorizia until 1990, also did service as mayor of the small town of Farra d'Isonzo. A member of the Circolo Culturale Astronomico di Farra since 1985, he was for many years chief auditor and then senior arbitrator in the club management. | JPL · 59232 |
| 59238 Lilin | 1999 CN2 | Li Lin (1923–2002), physicist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. | JPL · 59238 |
| 59239 Alhazen | 1999 CR2 | Ibn al-Haytham (965–1040), medieval Arab astronomer, mathematician, doctor, philosopher and physicist. "Alhazen" is his Latinized name. His work mainly dealt with the study of the visual phenomenon and with optical geometry. The name was suggested by P. Venzi. | JPL · 59239 |
| 59248 Genevièvesoucail | 1999 CG13 | Geneviève Soucail, French astronomer. | IAU · 59248 |
59301–59400
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59369 Chanco | 1999 EB5 | "Chanco" is a toponym used by the Flemish scientist-author Godefroy Wendelin (1580–1667), who named the Belgian city of Genk as Chanco in the Leges Salicae Illustratae. It is the oldest written name in the old Franco-German language, meaning "stallion". Name suggested by G. Canonaco. | JPL · 59369 |
| 59381 Yannickmellier | 1999 FZ5 | Yannick Mellier, French astrophysicist. | IAU · 59381 |
| 59384 Tomgiovannetti | 1999 FH10 | Tommaso Giovannetti, Italian amateur astronomer. | IAU · 59384 |
| 59388 Monod | 1999 FU19 | Jacques Monod (1910–1976), French molecular biologist and 1965 Nobelist for his work on the synthesis of proteins. He wrote also about epistemology, as in his book Chance and Necessity. | JPL · 59388 |
| 59389 Oskarvonmiller | 1999 FF21 | Oskar von Miller (1855–1934), a German engineer and founder of Deutsches Museum in Munich. He managed and built the then-largest high pressure hydroelectric power station and proposed the world's first projection planetarium, MODEL I (1925). Name suggested by the Deutsches Museum. | JPL · 59389 |
| 59390 Habermas | 1999 FR21 | Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), German philosopher, political scientist and sociologist, member of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research. He worked on the process of formation of public opinion and ideas, as well as on rational discussion and thinking. | JPL · 59390 |
59401–59500
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59417 Giocasilli | 1999 GD1 | Giovanni Casilli (born 1949), an Italian astronomer-technician who joined the staff of the Rome Observatory in 1989. Since then he has worked at the Campo Imperatore station as a technician, providing his assistance to the Campo Imperatore Near-Earth Object Survey. | JPL · 59417 |
| 59419 Prešov | 1999 GE2 | Prešov, a city in eastern Slovakia, birthplace of the seconde discoverer, Štefan Gajdoš. Dating from 1247, the city is the historical and cultural center of the Šariš region of northeastern Slovakia. A public observatory and young astronomers club were established there in 1968. | JPL · 59419 |
| 59425 Xuyangsheng | 1999 GJ5 | Xu Yangsheng (born 1958) is a leading expert in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, and an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, He is an Academician of the IAA and a Fellow of the IEEE. Xu was appointed the first President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen | JPL · 59425 |
| 59470 Paveltoufar | 1999 HM | Pavel Toufar (1948–2018) was a Czech journalist and writer. He was known for his popular, yet precise, articles, books and interviews about astronautics based on primary sources as well as on his personal experiences (e.g., with isolation experiments). | JPL · 59470 |
| 59483 Corranplain | 1999 HM | Corran Daemon Plain (1999–2024) was a volunteer editor of the English Wikipedia under the username Vami_IV, described in the WGSBN Bulletin as "one of the most impactful editors the online encyclopedia has ever had". | JPL · 59483 |
59501–59600
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
59601–59700
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| There are no named minor planets in this number range | |||
59701–59800
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59793 Clapiès | 1999 OD | Jean de Clapiès (1670–1740), French mathematician and cartographer who was involved with Plantade in the observations of the 1706 total solar eclipse from Montpellier's Babote Tower. | JPL · 59793 |
| 59797 Píšala | 1999 PX | Jan Píšala (born 1982) is a Czech astronomy populariser, and the author of many popular science publications, as well as audiovisual shows at the Brno Observatory and Planetarium. He is a graduate nuclear chemist, one of the main leaders of the Astronomical Expedition and also a great colleague and friend. | JPL · 59797 |
| 59800 Astropis | 1999 PV4 | Astropis, a Czech astronomy magazine. Since its first issue in 1994, the popular-science magagzine has earned an excellent reputation in the Czech amateur astronomy community. It publishes original articles and news on astronomy, astrophysics, astronautics and related fields, as well as on astronomical phenomena and hints and directions for observations (Src). | MPC · 59800 |
59801–59900
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59804 Dickjoyce | 1999 RJ1 | Richard R. Joyce (born 1944) is an American astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory who studies late-type stars and mass loss using infrared spectroscopy. He is also an expert in infrared instrumentation development. | JPL · 59804 |
| 59828 Ossikar | 1999 RU32 | "Ossikar", a cartoon-figure created by German caricaturist Manfred Sondermann, father-in-law of the discoverer Gerhard Lehmann. Ossikar, the main hero of many caricatures with everyday-life humor, appeared in numerous magazines during 1991–2006 and in a book in 1993. | JPL · 59828 |
| 59830 Reynek | 1999 RE33 | Bohuslav Reynek (1892–1971) was a Czech poet and graphic artist. His work was inspired by the Czech landscape, rural life and Christian humanism. He spent most of his life in the small village of Petrkov in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. He was married to the French poet Suzanne Renaud. | JPL · 59830 |
| 59833 Danimatter | 1999 RZ36 | Daniel Matter (born 1957), French amateur astronomer, discoverer of minor planets, and friend of Christophe Demeautis, who discovered this minor planet | JPL · 59833 |
| 59880 Moza | 1999 RS119 | Moza, a type of pearl in the Arabian Gulf that has a distinctive position over other pearls in terms of the purity of its color, roundness and size. | IAU · 59880 |
59901–60000
| Named minor planet | Provisional | This minor planet was named for... | Ref · Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|
| 59964 Pierremartin | 1999 RM235 | Rene Pierre Martin (born 1964) is an astronomer who held post doc fellowships with Steward Observatory, and with the ESO NTT in Chile. He was director at both the CFHT and the WIYN 3.5-m Observatory. He teaches astronomy and inspires young minds at UH Hilo. He is a drummer, like his idol Neil Peart. | IAU · 59964 |
| 59970 Morate | 1999 RZ246 | David Morate (born 1988) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Observatorio Nacional (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) researching the spectral characterization of the families of primitive asteroids in the inner asteroid belt. | IAU · 59970 |
| 59980 Moza | 1999 SG6 | Moza, a type of precious pearl found in the Arabian gulf and harvested by states such as the United Arab Emirates, which is planning a mission to the asteroid, MBR Explorer. | JPL · 59980 |
| 60000 Miminko | 1999 TZ3 | "Miminko", a Czech word that expresses the innocence of the very beginning of human life | JPL · 60000 |